Summer is a time of year everyone looks forward to. The garden is growing. Children are on holiday. There are reunions, picnics, backyard cookouts. Everything is great, with the possible exception of the heat. One way I’ve found to beat the heat is with fun and delicious homemade drinks made from ingredients growing in my yard. They’re great to drink and serve to your family, and a lot of them are great for the get-togethers that always seem to happen in the summer.. No

For years, I put garlic scapes in my homemade plant sprays to deter pests. But once I tasted them, YUM! These curly little things that shoot up from your hard neck garlic? They are, without question, one of the most prized harvests in my entire garden. The flavor is unlike anything you can find at a grocery store or restaurant. It’s a beautiful combination of garlic, green onion, and asparagus — milder than straight garlic, but with that unmistakable garlicky bite underneath.

If there’s one thing every thriving homestead garden has in common, it’s healthy soil. And one of the best ways to build rich, fertile soil naturally is through backyard composting. Compost transforms everyday waste like kitchen scraps, livestock manure, leaves, grass clippings, and garden debris into nutrient-rich organic matter that feeds your soil for years to come. Whether you’re growing vegetables, maintaining a flower garden, or improving pasture ground, learning how to